1. Field
This invention relates to acoustical stimulation ear probes. In particular, it relates to an ear canal status and ear canal obstruction detecting acoustical stimulation ear probe with outer ear illumination and a probe-fit status indicator.
2. State of the Art
For several audiological methods, a defined sound stimulation of the ear is desired. Moreover, to record otoacoustic emissions, a microphone is to be coupled to the ear canal. The standard way to achieve this is a so-called ear probe, containing at least one speaker and one microphone coupled to the ear via so-called ear tips.
To guarantee a defined stimulation over the complete desired frequency range, and to be able to record otoacoustic emissions, good probe placement is needed. Good in this context means that there should be a good seal between probe and ear canal, no earwax or other debris occludes the ear canal or the probe, and that the probe sits comfortably in the ear canal. This often includes the task of picking the optimal ear tip from a range of available sizes to insure the required sealing.
Audiological tests are often performed in a rather dark environment, such as sound booths or bassinets in the case of newborn hearing screening. The poor visibility makes it hard to achieve good probe placement with the criteria named above. Some examiners already make use of torches (flashlights) to overcome the issue, but these tie up a hand often needed for probe positioning.
For the visual inspection of the outer ear, so-called otoscopes exist. These usually contain a light source to illuminate the ear canal and the ear drum. These devices, however, do not contain any electro acoustical components to stimulate the ear or to record sound from the ear canal.
There thus remains a need for an emitter using different light, sound, and other frequencies to identify obstructions in the inner ear channel associated with an acoustical stimulation ear probe to aid in positioning and sealing the probe. The device described below provides a probe with integrated source emitting visual or not visual frequencies, or sounds, which allows better probe placement without the need of any additional light. This makes:                probe placement easier, as no additional light source has to be operated        less interference with sleeping subjects, such as very young children, so they don't awake because of additional light that would otherwise be used        improved test performance on average through better probe placement with calmer subjects        